The Taste of Celestial Freedom
by BabyChocoboAlchemist
Summary: "Can you teach me, Professor Scientia?" XV crossover in which Eight seeks the attention of a certain blonde transfer student, and hopes Akademia's new professor will help him in attaining it.


Author's Note: Type-0/XV crossover in which the Sailor Scouts of Lucis have been reincarnated and sent to Akademia, to change the winds of fate. Ignis is a new professor, while Prompto and Noctis are new students. Gladiolus' role hasn't yet been decided, as he's too mature to be a student and this crossover is still a massive work in progress. Mad shout out to CelestialSkye72, who has been amazing at helping me with this crossover!

Bonding between Eight and Ignis is in the following scene. I wavered between making Eight have a crush on Ignis and giving him a crush on a certain chocobo. I chose my original idea in the end; Eight being in love with the baby bird Prompto. On that note: if you're a stickler for canon, if you think fanfiction must adhere STRICTLY to canon, you probably won't enjoy this. Same goes if you're not at all a fan of yaoi ships.

Thank you for being here. I really do appreciate it, and happy new year!

* * *

Quivering like the leaves during a storm, he stood before one of the greatest challenges he'd ever have to face. Tension poisoned the pit of his stomach, making his hands clammy and heart uneasy. With a deep breath and racing heart, he stepped forward and knew there would be no turning back.

Every word was laced in hope, panic, excitement. Not even training to become the Agito brought about such sensations. The four transfers stirred up surreal, astounding thrills just by walking around on campus, pushing the original members of Class Zero to feel things they had never felt before. Pushing them to reach, believe, touch, taste, feel sensations never before known. All of those sensations and more crashed into the pit of Eight's stomach, as he stood on the verge of a revolution.

"Can you teach me, Professor Scientia?"

Professor Ignis Stupeo Scientia had been gathering the day's assignments, a mountain overflowing with dates, monuments, painstakingly written bridges to the past. He lifted calm, enigmatic eyes from his bundle and sent them to Eight, the young cadet standing in his doorway. The brunette was shuffling his feet, wondering if he had made an enormous mistake by uttering even a single syllable to Akademia's newest scholar. In just a few days, Ignis realized he had a bit of a reputation with the entire student body, Eight not at all immune to whatever spell he cast. The young men and women were either too afraid of him to utter a word in class, or they euphorically threw themselves at his feet. Eight had chosen the former route, looking as if Noctis' childhood friend would impale him on one of his blades.

The professor recognized him as more than one of his cadets. He recognized the young man as Prompto's friend, protector. Admirer. While the outspoken, electrically charged Nine was making his adoration of the baby chocobo quite clear, Eight was a quiet storm. Someone that unleased ethereal, awe-inspiring strength without being an idiot. The brunette was prickly about his height, but what he lacked in height, he made up for in courage. Dedication. Much more impressive than Prompto's other new friend, Nine.

Ignis spoke to his student calmly, softly, hoping his tone wouldn't frighten the other off. He had a knack for causing students to bolt, either with astronomical glee or enormous panic. Maybe, just maybe, he could have a _normal_ conversation with at least one of his students. Eight seemed sane enough.

"Teach you? Teach you _what,_ Eight?"

"How to cook, sir," the brawler replied immediately, as though wasting even a second would have him executed by the Vermilion Bird. That was right-every soul on campus had fallen madly, deeply in love with the culinary delights he whipped up, for the school to enjoy. And enjoy they did, devouring every last morsel as if tomorrow would never come. As if they had never experienced the joy, the magic of life.

Eight pressed on, working hard to shake off fear, determined to make a little dream into reality. "I'd like to cook something for a friend, Professor, and I think you could help me. I'll do my very best, sir, I promise."

Setting the day's assignments on his desk, Ignis considered the other's request with compassion. "Hm. This is about the upcoming celebration for the new year, am I right?" he asked, rubbing his chin, referring to Akademia's celebration in which students were to exchange gifts for the new year. It didn't take him half a second to figure out who the 'friend' was.

Eight nodded vigorously, happy to see Suzaku hadn't roasted him for even thinking about speaking to Professor Scientia outside of class. "Yes sir. I'd like to give something special to my friend, sir, and Queen told me that the quickest way to anyone's heart is through their stomach."

The silence that followed caused Eight to stiffen. "Sorry, Professor, I didn't mean to bother you," he said, stepping back, eyes downcast.

"My apologies. Forget I was even here, sir. Excuse-"

"What recipe would you like to learn? Would you be interested in something simple, or do you have experience cooking? I wouldn't forgive myself for boring you."

The young brawler took another step back, eyes fluttering, wondering if the Crystal had thrown him into another dimension. The four transfers were weird, with Prompto being the weirdest (seriously, did someone that adorable belong at Akademia?). But was Professor Scientia really agreeing to help him? Him? Puny little Eight?

"You'll…you'll teach me, sir?"

"Of course," Prompto's childhood friend replied, as though teaching a cadet how to cook wasn't at all extraordinary. Eight was rooted in the doorway, no longer in fear of his life but in awe, experiencing strange rushes of adrenaline. Happiness. Cheeks lit with a gentle shade of red, the young Agito trainee looked upon the professor that surely must've come from the Crystal, divine in every way imaginable. "I've got a full schedule tonight, I'm afraid," Ignis continued, straightening his glasses. "but I've got some free time before the new year's festivities. When would you like the lesson?"

"Um, w-w-whenever you can give it, sir, I mean, whenever you're ready, or, _okay_ with teaching me."

The look on the professor's face was strange in a million different ways, not at all mechanic like the old faces around Akademia. It was exciting, terrifying, so mysterious it was almost _seductive._

"All right then, have it your way. I'll let you know when I'm ready and able to teach you a little something."

With fervent, euphoric 'thank you's spilling out of him, Eight backed out of the room, suddenly feeling lighter than a Chocobo feather. He knew Seven and the rest of his class would strip the flesh off his bones (because who didn't have a crush on Professor Scientia?), but in the grand scheme of things, it didn't really matter. By the Crystal's grace, it didn't matter. The scholar had agreed to share some of his magic with him. And with that magic, maybe, just maybe, he'd have a chance.

Maybe, just maybe, he'd have a chance at making a certain transfer student notice him.


End file.
